Pneumatic yarn feed devices are described in the Bristish Patent Specification No. 1,426,024. Such devices require external yarn cutting devices. Other devices having internal yarn cutting and trapping arrangements are described in the West-German Auslegeschrift No. 1,069,813. Such devices required complicated control arrangements to synchronise successive operations during a yarn change. This problem is particularly troublesome when a large number of such devices is arranged around a knitting machine. The time required for a yarn change is long and may differ depending on the particular yarn selected.
It is the object of the invention to provide a yarn feed and change mechanism capable of changing yarns quickly which is easily controlled and can be used at a plurality of positions around the knitting machine.